In recent years, exercise sports such as, for example, Nordic Walking, running, jogging, skating, or cross-country skiing have become increasingly popular among the general public since these sports are healthy and, in particular, promote the physical well-being of the athletes. However, these sports produce concentrated load spectra in individual muscle and joint groups that may at times result in physical injuries. On the other hand, such overstressing is reduced by targeted exercise training and by the use of auxiliary aids. The known auxiliary aids are being continuously improved so as to even further reduce stress on the relevant muscle and joint groups. For example, the above-referenced training poles are well-known for Nordic walking.
DE 20 2005 014 822 discloses a hiking pole comprising a handgrip, a preferably telescoping pole shaft, and a ground-end foot. On its foot, the hiking pole has at least one unidirectionally rotatable roller to contact the ground, while the handgrip has a grip piece that is preferably oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the pole shaft.
Another training pole for athletes is described in EP 01744817 [US 2007/0249472], this pole also having an elongated body at whose bottom end at least one wheel is mounted that enables a directed forward rolling motion of the training pole along the ground. The wheel is equipped with a return-motion lock that allows the wheel to rotate in the travel direction but prevents it from rotating opposite the travel direction.
The disadvantage of the known training poles is that using them often does not yield the desired effect since the athletes have the feeling of having to perform an artificial and unnatural movement that they then do not practice consistently enough. For example, after a certain period of time—specifically, as a rule after completing the instruction phase—Nordic walkers often only drag the poles behind themselves halfheartedly without thereby exerting a real supporting force, and this has disadvantageous consequences for the desired training success.